Validation of the Polish version of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the study was to develop a Polish version of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ) to evaluate sexual function in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) versus a control group.

METHODS: Before the validation study, a pilot study of the Polish version of the PISQ was performed in 22 women with pelvic floor dysfunctions. The respondents completed the questionnaire at recruitment and 2 weeks later. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were determined. The validation study was performed in 249 sexually active women (123 with urodynamic SUI and POP; 126 healthy controls). The study group reported urinary incontinence (UI) at the urogynecological ambulatory clinic, where they underwent urogynecological and urodynamic examinations. All participants completed the questionnaire. PISQ results from both groups were compared and correlated with those of the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and patient age.

RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was good according to Pearson's correlation coefficient (r = 0.89, p < 0.001). PISQ had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.878). The total PISQ score was significantly lower in the study group compared with the controls (83.6 ± 14.9 vs 95.7 ± 10.3, p < 0.001), as were scores for individual domains: Behavioral/Emotive, Physical, Partner-Related (33.9 ± 10.2 vs 39.8 ± 7.8, 31.7 ± 6.9 vs 37.1 ± 2.8, and 18.0 ± 3.1 vs 19.4 ± 2.6 respectively; p < 0.001), confirming the lower quality of sexual function in women with SUI and POP. A correlation between PISQ and KHQ scores and patient age was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS: The Polish version of the PISQ is a reliable tool for evaluating sexual function in women with POP and UI.